(Somewhat) Breaking News out of Six Flags Marine World!!

[1FoolishMortal]

Zonga is officially being dismantled!! Not that I really care about the ride; I'm more interested in the HUGE concrete pad underneath Zonga and the potential that it holds for a new attraction.

This was totally unexpected as I drove up to Marine World today. I had a look as I'd heard no news that Zonga was being taken down. For those of you who haven't been to the park, the front of it is nicknamed "Coaster Alley" as the majority of the park's 8 roller coasters (now 7) line the front of the park.

This is probably the wrong place to ask, but does anyone know what's happening to it? I'm guessing it either got bought by a traveling fair, another theme park, or a company that'll use it for scrap metal. Frankly, it deserves the 3rd option. This ride has more than outlived its stay on earth.

And now for a few pictures:
The first one was taken as I was walking up the stairs to Roar's main station...



Second picture is a bit higher, giving a more aerial view of the site...


These were taken with a camera-phone so sorry for the poor quality! It was the only thing I had with me today!

Most of what can be seen in the pictures above is all that's left of the ride. The lift hill has been entirely dismantled, along with the left side of the coaster. The station is mostly intact with one train remaining in it, but even that is starting to have work done. The sign still remains, but my guess is that it'll be taken down very soon.

Now's the perfect time to write a wishlist for new rides for this area.


Other changes worth noting around the park:
- Tava's Jungleland looks very nice. Didn't get to walk through the entire area, but it really blended with its surroundings, and the interactive fountain really added to the kinetic energy at the entrance. Nice job 6 flags!
- Food Court at the back of the park has been completely redone. With the removal of the train and the jumping fountains, the tables have been moved off of the main pathway and into their own section right off the path. There are a LOT more tables than there used to be and we had no problem finding one during the peak lunch rush. All the buildings have been repainted in this area, as well as new paving throughout the Food Court (and new restaurants).
- The main fountain, in lieu of people fooling around in the water, has added a large, but nicely landscaped, planter around the outside of the fountain. Looks much nicer than before!
- Characters were out and about, but Batman and Robin were both midgets, and Flash looked like he hadn't hit puberty yet. Nice attempt, but nothing close to Disney quality.

Overall, the park is slowly looking nicer and nicer as the years go by. They've been remodeling the park in sections each year, and I've been impressed each time by what they've accomplished.

[1FoolishMortal]

Just to clarify, Zonga has been on a whirlwind tour of the world. It started off as Thriller, originally a traveling roller coaster for a German fair company. It was then purchased by Six Flags where its quality was butchered at Six Flags Astroworld, and was renamed Taz's Tornado (later Tornado). Early in this decade, it was moved to Marine World where it was butchered by Six Flags even more, and now it's on the move again (thank goodness)!

This ride was a tiny shadow of its former self. Nothing could compare it to the glory it once held traveling around Europe. Hopefully, RIP Zonga. May your days of bruising and battering guests be limited.

[CoasterNut]

Got to ride it once a couple years ago, awful coaster and I'm glad to see it go.

[1FoolishMortal]

^ Couldn't agree more. The alterations did nothing but damage the ride more. You seriously had to make a "gameplan" of how you were going to lean into the turns so your head didn't get smashed at 50mph into the headrest. It was quite interesting.

This makes me wonder what they're going to put in its place. After all, there's a GIGANTIC cement pad where there's room for endless possibilities, be it roller coaster or flat ride.

[dizniephan]

Couldn't believe how happy I was to see Zonga halfway dismantled the last time we went to SFMW. Only rode it once and have to say that it was just not very fun. Looking forward to seeing what new might be put in it's place.